- NEW DELHI — A
daily dose of a commonly used, safe, and inexpensive antibiotic may help reduce
preterm births (born at 37 weeks’ gestation or before), in women with HIV,
according to a study of almost 1,000 pregnant women in Zimbabwe.
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- An international group of researchers, from the UK and
Zimbabwe, found that women living with HIV who took the antibiotic
trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole during their pregnancy had larger babies who were
less likely to be preterm.
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- Trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole is a broad-spectrum
antimicrobial agent with anti-inflammatory properties that are widely used in
sub-Saharan Africa.
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- The study showed that for babies born to a small group of
131 women with HIV, the reduction in premature births was especially marked,
with only 2 per cent of births in the trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole group
preterm, as compared with 14 per cent in the placebo group.
Also read: Study shows monoclonal antibody can lower common lung infection risk
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- “Our findings suggest that a low-cost, daily antibiotic, in
a setting where infections like HIV are common, might reduce the risk of
preterm births. We desperately need new strategies to prevent preterm births,
which are the leading cause of under-5 child mortality,” said Andrew
Prendergast, Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunology at Queen Mary
University of London.
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- “If we can confirm in other trials that
trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole reduces the risk of babies being born too soon,
it would be a promising new approach to help newborns survive and thrive,” he
added.
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- One in four live-born infants worldwide is preterm, is small
for gestational age, or has a low birth weight.
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- The mortality rate for these small and vulnerable newborns
is high, with prematurity now the leading cause of death among children younger
than 5 years of age.
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